After successful completion of the course, students are able to understand the principles and connections of the dating and analytical applications presented in the various excursions and explain those in a final review. 

Dendrochronology, luminescence dating, mass spectrometry, neutron activation analysis, radiocarbon dating, X-ray fluorescence analysis, molecular archaeometry

Excursions to different laboratories where guided tours and presentations will be given. Wherever possible, practial experiments will be performed.

The course is likewise aimed at students of arts, natural sciences and engineering. It shall in particular stimulate the dialog between students from apparently distant areas of research, who are commonly interested in the application of radiation physics methods in the field of arts, geo- and archaeology.

This LVA will be provided in a series of excursion. The following institutions will be visited: 

• Atominstitut, TU Wien: Activation Analysis, X-Ray fluorescence analysis, luminescence dating
• VERA, Universität Wien: accelerator mass spectroscopy, C-14 dating
• Institut für Holztechnologie und Nachwachsende Rohstoffe, BOKU: Dendrochronology
• Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien: X-Ray fluorescence analysis
• Analytische Chemie, BOKU: ICP-MS, stable Isotopes

Participation is required, details about this will be given in the first lecture.

participation and final review

Registration for the course is completed in TISS

• M. J. Aitken, Physics and Archaeology, Oxford University Press (1975).
• M. J. Aitken, Science-based Dating in Archaeology, Longman (1990).
• G. Artioli, Scientific Methods and Cultural Heritage, Oxford University Press (2010).
• P. Craddock, Scientific Investigation of Copies, Fakes and Forgeries, Butterworth Heinemann (2009).
• G. A. Wagner, Einführung in die Archäometrie, Springer (2007).

Completion of the lecture portion of the archaeometry course is recommended.